When Tragedy Strikes
by TheUltimateCombo
Summary: It's a mystery involving Arthur, Sue Ellen, Buster, and Francine. Arthur and Sue Ellen are happily married, and have a kid. Francine never got over a break up with Arthur, and is jealous of Sue Ellen. Sue Ellen gets in a car accident meant to kill her, and Buster is called in to investigate. Is Francine guilty? Who else could be behind it? And will Sue Ellen be okay?
1. Chapter 1

Arthur opened the door to his house. He stepped inside.

"Honey, I'm home!" He shouted. Sue Ellen came up to him, their son Andy not far behind. Arthur hugged and kissed his wife. Sue Ellen and him had been married for seven years, a lovely wedding had taken place, and everyone was happy for them. Their son Andy was five years old, with an active imagination, and he was just a picture of Arthur at that age, minus the glasses.

Arthur had been scared to go into married life, but he found that it was amazing. He had a loving family, a good job, and he was happy. Arthur worked at a quiet desk job somewhere in the city, while Sue Ellen was a stay at home mom. Andy went to preschool, along with his cousin Dieter, DW and James's kid.

"Hi Hon!" Sue Ellen greeted. "Could you pick up some things from the store?"

"Sure." Arthur said, getting ready to go back out. "What do we need?"

Sue Ellen produced a list as if by magic, and handed it to Arthur. He nodded and left the house. Arthur pulled up at their local supermarket, and got out of the car. He grabbed a cart and headed inside. Inside he saw Francine, who worked there. He smiled and waved at her. She scowled at him. Arthur just shrugged and went about his business.

Francine was the only childhood friend of Arthur's who wasn't at the wedding. He had dated her for some time, before finally cutting the strings, seeing as how they might not have worked out. Even now, years later, she was resentful towards Arthur. They weren't even on speaking terms. He was happy and moving forward, though, while she stayed stuck in the past.

Arthur was checked out by a girl named Sandra, someone he and Sue Ellen had met in high school. She was a good friend to them, and was there present at the wedding.

"How're you today Arthur? Sue Ellen's feeling well I hope." She conversed.

"Everyone's fine. How about you?" Arthur replied with a smile.

"I could be better, but I'm doing pretty good." She responded.

"Good to hear."

"Your total is thirty four, twenty five." Sandra said. Arthur paid for his groceries and left the store. When he was gone, Francine slinked over to Sandra.

"Don't come to me with your ex problems." Sandra said with a Texan drawl.

"Can you believe he married Sue Ellen, though?" Francine said.

Sandra rolled her eyes. "We've been going through this conversation for seven gosh darn years. Give it a rest already. So he didn't marry you. Like my grand mami always said, 'If you don't get him, there's another just like 'im somewhere.'"

Francine scoffed. "What does that even mean?"

Sandra replied, "It means that you should just find another Arthur Read. There's bound to be one somewhere."

"You're crazy." Francine spat.

"_I'm_ not the one still eyeing my ex-boyfriend." Sandra retorted.

"I'll marry that man someday." Francine stated, staring out the window.

Sandra snorted. "When?"

"Maybe they'll get a divorce." Francine stated hopefully. Sandra eyed her coworker.

"Francine. They truly love each other. No small argument's gonna put them apart. They had a child together, and where I'm from, that's a pretty big deal." Sandra said. "The only way you're gonna marry Arthur is if there's a death in the family."

Francine took on a blunt look as she processed this new information. She nodded. "I see."

"Don't get your hopes up either way. Just move on and be happy."

Francine nodded again. But she couldn't find it within herself to move on. She had to have Arthur. And the only thing that stood in her way was Sue Ellen.

At the Read house, DW, James, Robert, Kara, and Dieter were over for dinner. They had a feast, with vegetable soup, corn bread, collard greens, fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Everyone was talking and catching up. It was like a small family reunion.

DW was a teacher at Lakewood Middle School, while James worked as a server at Starbucks. Robert was an airline pilot, and Kara worked part time as a stewardess for the same airline. Arthur smiled at how successful his family had become. It was almost like a dream.

"I saw dad lately." DW said.

"Really? I haven't spoken to him in a while. How's he doing?" Arthur asked.

"Oh he and mom are fine. He finally published his cookbook. I read it over, it was pretty fancy." DW replied.

"Ugh, I wish I had time to cook like that. We're hardly ever home." Kara spoke.

"Yeah, we travel a lot, obviously. But, we get to try different cuisine sometimes. I remember a flight to Venezuela, oh my god, that was really good food." Robert added.

And so the conversation went, everyone talking about their dance with devilish cuisine. Outside, a figure lurked around the Read house. They were cautious, every move meticulously planned. They found Sue Ellen's car. They quickly slid underneath, pulling pliers from their pocket, and getting to work.

The next day, after Arthur had went to work, Sue Ellen had decided to spend some time at the library that day. She drove out from the driveway, and went on her way to the library. Asshe approached a red light, she stepped on the brakes. They felt loose. Sue Ellen stomped on the brakes, but the car kept going. She slid out into the intersection, right as a car was coming through from her right. The impact was sudden, and Sue Ellen was out like a light.

Arthur got a call at work. He quickly looked around to see if anyone was paying attention before answering.

"Hello?" He whispered.

"_It's Buster_." The voice at the other end said.

"What's up?"

Buster got right to the point.

"_It's Sue Ellen_."

-Breakline-

Arthur sped to Mercy General Hospital. He dashed for the front doors, rapidly asking for Sue Ellen Read.

"She's not to have any visitors." One receptionist said.

"I'm her husband. I have to see if she's alright!" Arthur shouted.

The receptionist nodded. "Ninth floor, thirty fourth room."

Arthur nodded before hurrying upstairs. When he got to Sue Ellen's room, he felt his heart sink. She was lying on the bed, unconscious. An oxygen mask was on her face, and an IV needle was stuck in her arm. She breathed steadily, the heart monitor steadily beeping.

Arthur felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the doctor.

"She'll be okay." He assured. Arthur looked at the doctor and nodded.

"I'd like to stay with her." Arthur said. The doctor replied, "Sure."

Arthur called DW and asked her to pick Andy up from preschool, and he asked her to keep him for a while. He explained to his younger sister about how Sue Ellen was in an accident. She understood. She gave him her sympathy.

When Arthur got off of the phone, a detective stepped in. It was Buster. He looked at Arthur solemnly. Buster was a private investigator, solving major crimes across the city. His job had given him a tough look, but he still Buster. Good ol' caring Buster. Right now, he looked tired, with a heavy five o'clock shadow on his chin.

"You look like crap." Arthur said. "No offense."

"None taken." Buster said. He looked at Sue Ellen. "It wasn't an accident."

"What?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"The brakes. They were cut." Buster replied.

"Who would want to do this to Sue Ellen?" Arthur asked.

"I'm going to find out." Buster said.

"I can't pay you." Arthur said.

"I'll do it for free. You're my friend. I couldn't accept money for this." Buster replied before leaving.

When his best friend left, Arthur sat with his face in his palms, praying that Sue Ellen would be alright.


	2. Chapter 2

Buster was in the Reads' neighborhood. He questioned people young and old about whether or not they had seen anything fishy. One old lady, Mrs. Thornbush, was particularly interesting to talk to. She was a healthy woman of sixty-five, with gray hair, and chestnut eyes. Buster took note of how healthy she looked. He figured he couldn't rule her out because of her age.

"So you were here at home last night?" Buster asked.

"That's where I was." The lady replied.

"Are you sure you didn't maybe, _take a walk_? Maybe over to the Read house?" Buster persisted.

Mrs. Thornbush thought for a second. She tapped her chin, looking upward, before replying,

"Y'know I think I did take a little stroll after dark."

"Did you notice anything strange at the Read house?"

"I know they had lots of company. Why?"

"Did you see anyone around the house?" Buster asked.

"Besides the company?"

"Yes."

"There was someone with a hoodie walking around the neighborhood when I went back inside. I didn't know what to think so I quickly locked all my doors." Mrs. Thornbush said.

Buster took a quick peek inside. He noticed a hooded jacket hanging on a doorknob.

"A hoodie like that?" He pointed inside. Mrs. Thorbush cautiously said, "Yes."

"Final question: Do what do you think of Sue Ellen Read?"

Mrs. Thornbush shrugged. "All she ever does is stay at home."

"She has a kid."

"Which is why she needs a job. To support her family. The economy isn't what it used to be. I happen to think she's spoiled with all she's got. A husband, a fancy house, a fancy car, all without working for any of it."

Buster wrote something in his notepad. Mrs. Thornbush raised her eyebrow.

"Do you have any tools?" Buster asked.

"Yeah, I've got wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers."

_Pliers_. Just what Buster needed to hear. "Thank you ma'am." He said, before walking off. In his notepad, he wrote,

**Suspect List**

**Mary Thornbush**

-Breakline-

It was Francine and Sandra's lunch break. They sat watching the news. Both were shocked to learn that Sue Ellen had gotten into a car accident.

"Oh my." Sandra whispered. "It says her brakes were cut. Who'd want to kill Sue Ellen?"

Sandra whipped her head towards Francine. Francine looked at her coworker. "What? It's tragic!"

Sandra looked back at the TV.

"Do you think this could be a sign?" Francine asked. Sandra sighed. "Good Lord. What are you getting at Francine?"

"Maybe it means that Arthur and Sue Ellen weren't meant to be together."

"If that were the case, they would have _divorced_ a long time ago." Sandra said, exasperated.

"Yeah I guess so. I hope Sue Ellen's alright." Francine stated, earning her a strange look from Sandra.

Buster entered the supermarket. He looked around to see if Francine or Sandra were around. He walked up to a young blonde girl and asked her, "Hi, do you know if a Francine Frensky is around?"

The girl nodded and pointed towards the back of the store.

"Sure. She's in the break room, just go straight back."

"Thank you." Buster walked off towards the break room. When he entered, he flipped out his badge.

"Buster Baxter, Private Detective. I'm here to ask some questions." He said.

-Breakline-

Arthur was leaning back in the hospital chair. He never left Sue Ellen's bedside. He woke up groggy from a nap. He ran a hand over his face before giving a sharp exhale. He looked at Sue Ellen. She looked peaceful. The monitor continued beeping, a sign that she was still okay.

Someone stepped into the room. Arthur looked up. It was Kate. She pulled a chair to sit next to her brother. Arthur hadn't seen Kate in a while. She was twenty-three now, with long, golden locks of hair. She had married a guy named Cody, and she was a teacher at Lakewood Elementary.

For a while they just sat. Arthur cleared his throat. Kate looked at him.

"How'd you find out?" He asked.

"DW told me." Kate replied. "I'm so sorry."

Arthur just shrugged. It fell quiet again. Arthur said, "I haven't talked to you in years. Why's that?"

"Life. You know how it is. Something's always coming up." Kate replied.

Arthur gave a "hmm" sound. He then asked, "Why are you here?"

"I thought you might need some comfort." Kate smiled sadly. When Arthur didn't respond, she just looked ahead, silence overtaking them once again.

-Breakline-

Buster arrived at his office, processing some new info. Francine had said that she was home alone that night, watching TV. She said that she had called Muffy on the phone, and they had talked for a while. When asked about how she felt about Sue Ellen, she mentioned that she felt hurt that Sue Ellen married Arthur. She mentioned things like "didn't deserve him", "spoiled brat", and various other phrases that made her suspect.

Buster looked at his notepad. Mrs. Thornbush couldn't have committed the crime. He reasoned that she was too old. But she fit clues: She had been out around the neighborhood that night, she had a hoodie, like the one she claimed the criminal was wearing, and she had the tools to carry out the sabotage. But why would she rat out herself?

Buster figured it must've been to throw him off the trail. He'd seen that tactic too many times to be fooled by it again. He decided to not rule her out just yet. Besides, she had motive. That was evident from their conversation earlier.

Francine was a different cookie. Her story might check out. Buster decided to visit Muffy tomorrow to check the authenticity of her claim. But Francine also had motive. Sue Ellen married her ex, had a happy life with him, while Francine stayed miserable. He decided to keep a close eye on both his suspects.

-Breakline-

It was the next day. Elwood City was bustling about, unaware of the troubles besetting the Read family. Before work, Francine had driven over to Muffy's, to talk. Muffy had invited her friend in with open arms.

"What's up Francine?" Muffy asked.

"Did you hear that Sue Ellen got in an accident?" Francine inquired.

"Yeah. Is she gonna be alright?" Muffy wondered.

"I hope not." Francine said bluntly.

"Why'd you say that?" Muffy asked.

"It's just that, she's got everything! She stole Arthur from me, she married him, had a kid, and now he has a good job, and he gives her nice things, like the most expensive car out there, and I'm stuck in a dead end job, with hardly any niceties to speak of!" Francine rambled. "I just want her to be put in her place. She doesn't deserve anything she has. I'd like her to just lose all of it."

"I know how you feel Francine. You want Arthur on the market again." Muffy said, sitting down on her couch.

"Yeah." Francine confessed, a little embarrassed. "I want what she has. I just want success."

"Well, Francine," Muffy started. "I'm your best friend. I'd do anything to help you. _Anything_. And I can tell you with full confidence, that if that car crash doesn't kill her, something else will."

Francine nodded, contemplating this new information.

-Breakline-

Arthur had gotten the day off of work. He stayed at Sue Ellen's side, afraid that if he moved, when he came back she would be gone. After a grueling eighteen hours the ginger girl finally opened her eyes. She looked back and forth for a bit, before figuring out where she was. Arthur smiled at her.

"Hey!" He said. Sue Ellen stretched out her hand. Arthur grabbed it, and Sue Ellen smiled.

"You'll be alright." Arthur said, trying to comfort himself more than anyone.

When the doctor came in, he was stunned. Surprised, he said, "You're awake!"

Sue Ellen gave a weak nod, and Arthur looked at the doctor.

"This is good. She should recover much quicker now." The doctor reassured. "You were fortunate to survive that accident, Mrs. Read."

"Is the other driver okay?" Arthur asked. The doctor nodded.

"He wasn't hurt nearly as bad as your wife here." The doctor replied. The doctor squeezed Arthur's shoulder. "I'll be back." He left the room. Arthur slunk back into his chair, relieved, and a tad bit more hopeful.


	3. Chapter 3

Buster made his way to Muffy's house. He got out of the car and walked to the front door. Before he knocked, Muffy answered the door.

"What?" She asked, clearly annoyed. Buster kept his calm, and said,

"I'd like to ask some questions."

Muffy looked around, before motioning Buster to come in. Muffy took a seat on a lushly cream couch, with gold embroidery. Buster decided to just stand. He took a look around, before Muffy asked him,

"What do you want Buster?"

"That's _detective_ _Baxter_ to you." Buster scolded. Muffy just rolled her eyes. "In any case, I want to know what you were doing a few nights ago, the night before Sue Ellen had her accident."

"Oh my! Wasn't it tragic!? I do hope she's alright!" Muffy started. Buster extended his hand, and scowled. Muffy quickly quieted.

"Don't change the subject. Where were you the night before Sue Ellen's accident?"

"I was here, talking to Francine on the phone. We talked for about an hour." Muffy replied.

"What time was that?"

"Around five. Why?" Muffy asked.

Buster scribbled in his notepad. He nodded. He took a look around, looking into the dining room, seeing a spotted washcloth lying on the table. Buster immediately started to look funny, when Muffy turned around to see what he was staring at.

"Oh. That's Chad's. He's a mechanic. I keep telling him not to leave his dirty rags around the place, but he never listens." Muffy got up to remove the unsightly object.

"And Chad's your husband?" Buster asked.

"To be." Muffy added with a wink. Buster raised an eyebrow. He jotted down this new information in his pad.

"I'll be leaving then." Buster announced. He exited Muffy's house, getting into his car and driving off.

-Breakline-

Arthur had finally moved from Sue Ellen's bedside. He had told her he was going to go home, then over to DW's house to check on Andy, then he'd be back. As Arthur made his way to his car, he scratched his chin, he really needed to shave. He yawned and shook his head, two agonizing days had passed since the accident, and he was severely tired. He knew it was a risk to drive home tired, but he took the risk.

Fortunately, he arrived at 232 Cherry Picker Lane with little incident. He opened the door and went inside. He made his way upstairs to the bathroom, where he proceeded to shave, in a solemn quietness he had not known since he moved out of his parents' house. He then went downstairs, where he ate two slices of toast. Eventually he made it to the couch. He flipped on the TV, and _Good Morning America_ was on. Having no interest, he just sighed and leaned his head against the couch. He woke up three hours later.

Arthur drove over to DW and James' house. When he knocked on the door, DW opened the door, looking frazzled.

"You need to tell Andy something. He's getting suspicious." DW said.

"Why couldn't _you_ tell him?" Arthur retorted. DW was taken aback, sputtering before just shaking her head and turning inside, telling Arthur,

"Just come on in!" DW said. Arthur swiftly stepped in, and DW closed the door. Arthur saw James holding Dieter on his shoulders, and immediately smirked. James gave Dieter a piggyback ride, before putting him down, and doing the same for Andy. When James saw Arthur, he said to Andy,

"Hey look who's here!"

"Daddy!" Andy held out his arms, and Arthur happily picked Andy off of James' back.

"Hey Sport!" Arthur patted Andy's head. "What've you been up to?"

"Having fun!" Andy exclaimed. Arthur and James chuckled before shaking hands and getting over the normal pleasantries. Andy eventually left to chase Dieter around the house, which DW ran to supervise.

"How's Sue Ellen?" James said when the others were gone.

"She's awake. Doctor says she's gonna be fine." Arthur said, relief in his voice.

"How are _you_?" James then asked. Arthur sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I've been better." James nodded at the statement.

"Should we tell Andy?" James asked.

"Not yet. Give it a couple more days. Then tell him." Arthur replied. "I just had to check on him."

"I understand man." Arthur shook James' hand again.

"See you later James."

"Take care." Arthur let himself out and drove away towards the hospital.

-Breakline-

When Francine got home, she met her phone ringing. She hurried over and picked it up. It was Muffy. On the other end, Francine heard panting. She frantically shouted, "Muffy!?"

"Francine! Oh it's terrible!" Muffy choked out.

"What happened?" Francine asked.

"Buster came by. He asked me about Sue Ellen's accident!" Muffy said.

"You did not tell him anything did you?" Francine asked with a deadly tone.

"Nothing much." Muffy replied nervously.

"What do you _mean_ nothing much?" Francine almost growled.

"I just told him you and I talked on the phone!" Muffy said.

"That better be all Mary Alice Crosswire!" Francine heard Muffy gulp. No one used her full name. "If I find out that Buster thinks I did it, I will end you!" Francine angrily hung up. Muffy still hung onto the phone even after the dial tone came on. She quickly gathered herself. She didn't tell him anything. He wouldn't suspect them, since she gave a truthful alibi. She was safe.

Meanwhile, across town, Buster sat at his desk, looking over his new information. Muffy's boyfriend/fiancé was a mechanic. Direct access to the tools would be Muffy's privilege. Plus the fact that she and Francine would have had a grudge against Sue Ellen, Muffy might've helped her best friend harm Sue Ellen. That was a possibility as well. Buster nodded. This was coming along fast.

**A/N: A short one for now. Something to tie you all over till the next installment. So now we have two real suspects: Muffy and Francine. Who done done it? Can you figure it out? Is it one? The other? Or both? Is it someone completely unsuspected? Find out next chapter, same Bat-time, same Bat-Channel.**


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